Business Daily (Nairobi)
Beatrice Gachenge
6 November 2007
Nairobi — Fred Sambu, a physiotherapist, helps a patient to exercise in the hydro pool at Karen Hospital November 6, 2007: The first and most predominant thought that comes to your mind when one mentions a hospital is illness.
Usually people go to hospitals either as patients or when they are accompanying patients. But imagine going to hospital for a dip in a hydro pool. Welcome to Karen Hospital in Nairobi. "We allow clients to walk in and use our hydro pool, which is basically exercising in water," said Elizabeth Nyokabi, a physiotherapist at the hospital. So who uses this pool that is heated to body temperature?
Nyokabi says anyone with a sore body and even mental stress is a perfect candidate. A long day at work can also warrant a visit to the pool to unwind and relax. She said there were numerous benefits of exercising in water over the traditional gym.
Top on her list was the fact that the hydro pool utilises water heated to body temperature levels, between 37 to 38 degrees. Heated water enhances blood circulation since vessels dilate allowing more blood into the organs.
In addition, more oxygen circulates which goes to a great extent to relax muscles and decrease pain, especially in the joints. But the main advantage of exercising in water is that the body has no forces working against it.
According to Jessica Shiraku, who is in charge of physiotherapy and rehabilitation at Nairobi Hospital, once submerged in water, the body weight reduces by half. "Water buoyancy eliminates gravity which makes the body heavier, therefore exercise in water is the best method," said Shiraku.
Half an hour of exercise in an hydro pool is equivalent to an a hour in the gym, says Nyokabi. Another advantage is that the water helps to improve gait.
Shiraku said one is able to maintain balance in water, making it the perfect antidote for patients who have been bed ridden for a lengthy periods and are too weak to walk.
In all, aquatic exercises are best suited for people with lower back problems, those recovering from a recent surgery and accident or patients with arthritis as well as total hip replacement. In just ten minutes of exercise in the water, the patient in the picture was already punting from weight lifting. The feather weight once submerged in water, weighs approximately 10 kilogrammes. This was her first time in the pool as she had back problems. The spacious pool allows the clients to do aerobics just as one would in a gym.
But the most far- reaching beauty of the pool is the presence of a massager. At the extreme end of the pool, a water jet that tilts up or down gushes water at high pressure on to the body.
Ms. Elizabeth Nyokabi, a physiotherapist
"The massager is more effective than even a deep tissue massages that uses elbows and friction as it has the ability to get deep into to the muscles simultaneously unlike hands which moves from body point to another," said Nyokabi.
But one not face the massager as it may vibrate the stomach, causing discomfort. It should also not be used for a long time as the high pressure may aggravate the body.
Ten minutes under the massager is suffice and is better than an hour of full body massage. After the 45 minutes in the pool, one gets to relax at the jacuzzi which has smaller jets that also massage the body, but at a slower and longer pace.Before using the pool, one is required to take a shower to remove make up as well as dirt. Shiraku says after the water exercise, it is always advisable to take some time to rest as one could experience dizziness. This is because the lighter body has to adjust to the surrounding and gravity.
A drink provided by the hospitals comes in handy as one catches their breath on the seats besides the pool. But neither Nairobi nor Aga Khan Hospital allow walk in clients to utilise the pool. Only Karen is open to the public. The former said they restricted themselves to patients since they had their medical history .
"We would need to access the patients before they can use the pool but then again, our first priority are the patients," said Suleiman Kweyu, head of Physiotherapy at Aga Khan University Hospital. Certain precautions have to be taken before allowing anyone into the hydro pool.
"We never allow people with skin conditions to use the pool since certain chemical used to clean and purify the water may react to the problematic skins," said Karen's physiotherapist. People with extreme blood pressure are also not allowed into the pool as well as pregnant women in the first trimester. So the next time you are in the neighbourhood and feeling under the weather, do not hesitate to visit the hospital, your stress will certainly be washed away.
Warm water exercise (hydrotherapy) is particularly helpful, because your body weight is supported and the resistance of moving through water boosts muscle strength and endurance. Activities such as stretching or walking through water can exercise the joints without putting them under strain.
The health benefits highlighted in the study for those who exercised in water include increased muscle strength ,enhanced sense of wellbeing, mood and sleep quality, decreased fear of general exercise, improved oxygen intake; greater flexibility, loss of excess body fat , increased agility and no exercise-related injuries
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